Notes for 2306

Schedule

Section One:
- Introduction (Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens)

Section Two:
- Texas within the National Governing Landscape: Federalism
- Texas within the National Political Landscape: Political Culture

Section Three: The Texas Constitution and Local Governments
- The Texas Constitution
- Balanced Government
- City Charters, Counties and Special Districts

Section Four: Liberties and Rights
- The Texas Bill of Rights
- The 14th Amendment

Week Five: The Texas Legislature
- The Legislature: Definition and Historical Background.
- The Legislature - Texas Constitutional Design
- Parties in the Texas Legislature

Week Six: Local Legislatures
- County Commissioner Courts
- City Councils
- Boards

Week Seven: The Power of the Purse
- State Budgeting
- Local Budgeting
- State and Local Economic Policymaking

Week Eight: The Texas Executive - Constitutional Design / Mayors and City Managers
- The Executive: Texas Constitutional Design
- The Texas Governor

Weel Eight: Local Executives and the Bureaucracy
- County Judges, Mayors and City Managers
- The Texas Bureaucracy

Week Nine: The Management of Elections and Political Parties in the State
- The Texas Secretary of State
- Counties
- Local Elections
- Texas Political Parties

Week Ten: Education Policy and Health and Human Services
- Independent School Districts


Week Eleven: The Texas Judiciary
- Constitutional Design / City and County Courts
- Judicial Elections

Week Twelve: Judicial Elections /

Week Thirteen: The Texas Criminal Justice System
Week Fourteen: Political Parties

Week Fifteen: Organized Interests in the State






Week Five: Parties and Legislative and City Council Elections

- Texas Politics: Political Parties

- Texas Politics: Voting Campaign and Elections

- Texas Legislative Council

- Guide to Texas Legislative Information

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Week Six: Interests Groups and Committees in the State and Local Legislative Bodies

- Texas Politics: Interest Groups

- Texas House of Representatives: Committees

- Texas Senate: Committees




Week Seven: Economic Policy Making and Budgeting

- Texas Politics: Political Economy

- Legislative Budget Board

- Budget 101: A Guide to the Budgetary Process in Texas

- Texas Enterprise Fund

- TIRZ

- Greater Houston Partnership

- The Economic Development Alliance for Brazoria County


Week Seven: State and Local Executive Branches

- Wikipedia: List of Current State Governors

- National Governors Association


Week Eight: The Management of Elections - The Texas Secretary of State

- Texas Politics: Voting Campaign and Elections

- Website: Texas Secretary of State – Elections Division.

- Brazoria County Clerk - Elections Division

- Voting Rights Act.

- About Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

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Week Ten: Education Policy and Health and Human Services

- Texas Constitution: Article Seven

- Website: Texas Education Agency

- Website: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

- Texas House: Public Education Committee.

- Texas Senate: Committee on Education.

- LBB: Financing Public Education in Texas.

- LBB: Financing Higher Education in Texas.


- Website: Texas Health and Human Services Commission

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Week Eleven: State and Local Judiciary

- Understanding Federal and State Courts

- Comparing Federal and State Courts

- Wikipedia: State Courts

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Week Twelve: The Texas Judiciary - Constitutional Design / City and County Courts

- Texas Politics: The Justice System

- Texas Constitution: Article Five

- Texas Courts Online

- TCO: Judicial Information Program


Week Fifteen: Judicial Elections / The Texas Criminal Justice System

- Brennan Center for Justice: State Judicial Elections

- AJS: Judicial Selection in the States

- AJS: Judicial Campaign and Elections: Texas

- Judgepedia: Texas Judicial Elections, 2012.

- Texas Attorney General.

- Texas Department of Public Safety

- Texas Department of Criminal Justice

- Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles

- Brazoria County Sherriff’s Office

- Alvin Police Department


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